Around the world, there is declining sports engagement and viewership, especially amongst millennials. Whatever that sport might be, fewer people are left watching their broadcast. Sports Illustrated has reported a drop of 9.7% in their NFL ratings. MLB Networks and Fox also reported the same decline in overall viewership. It’s not because they don’t find sports fun or engaging. Sports tournaments are left competing with the internet and all the distraction that comes with it.
New Generation
Millennials are also known for their fragmented attention span. They don’t have time to watch a 3-hour football game or a 2-hour basketball game. Sports are left having to compete with social media, YouTube videos, and video games.
Here are some reasons why sports engagement is changing among the young generation:
1. Millennials just don’t watch that much TV anymore as compared to the previous generation and many sports events are broadcast on television.
2. If millennials do end up watching TV, most of the time they’re on their phones. In a recent Nielsen’s report, millennials scored around 38% on memorability.
3. People have a very different idea about sports nowadays. Through social media, people have a different perception of athletes. If the older generation idolized athletes, millennials consider them to be just like one of them.
4. Sports fans now have a very intimate relationship with athletes and it affects how they perceive the sport.
5. Millennials want a different content and it’s usually not about sports. Gone are the days of looking at stats and scoresheets. People are finding other ways to entertain themselves.
Fighting back
With all these setbacks, how is the industry adapting to pull in the viewers? Well, they’re encouraging athletes to boost viewership through their social media. Famous sports brands are also tapping high-fashion creators in order to boost audience awareness.
Sports equipment has also adopted many of the latest trends in technology. In order to engage a new audience and make them care about the sport, then it only makes sense that they know how to play it.
The kids that want to go into sports now have everything laid out to them. The advances of technology meant that there is sports equipment now that is so high-tech having one for an athlete is almost going to mean certain win. So what are some examples of high tech gadgets that will help improve performance? Read on and find out.
6 Smart Gadgets That Will Help Your Kids Improve at Sports
1. Smart Socks
Have you ever heard of such a thing? Not me and honestly the first time I read about smart socks I gave out a little chuckle. How can a pair of socks help someone improve their performance? Well, the secret lies in the microchip that’s installed in the fabric. This will pick up data while training and once it’s downloaded to the computer, the athlete will be able to view in great detail his performance. This product is most useful for track and field and cross-country runners.
2. Smart Football
Smart football is another product that would blow people’s mind if it was released a couple of years ago. But now, people are unfazed about its existence. I’m talking about the football that will track stats while you’re playing. It will help record passes, the velocity of each pass, distance, and spin. With this ball, no one has to worry about fumbling because even before you form the habit, it is already correcting you.
3. Smart Soccer Ball
Source: Amazon.in
Soccer fans need not worry, you also have a smart ball to help you up to your game. Much like the football the tracks stats, this smart soccer ball is also capable of tracking different game plays like power, strike and trajectory, strike, and many more. With this, the team will have an easier time keeping track of how well they’re doing and it can help them improve to become better players. The ball is also capable of connecting to smartphones to see the data.
4. Golf Swing Device
Source: swingbyte.com
What this device does is analyze how strong your swings are and if you are in proper form. With this beside you, you will surely shave off two swings off your golf game. The golf swing analyzer is going to help you understand your performance better and adjust it for better performance.
5. Smart Basketball
HB sports gears fans will have something to celebrate in this smart basketball. Kids wanting to work on their shooting skills can use this ball and it will track and analyze their weaknesses and strength. This is like having a virtual coach that will guide you in your training and exercises. The data can easily be downloaded unto the computer or into your mobile phone for easy access.
6. Brain Training Headphones
And finally, a state of the art headphone was recently released and it cited that it can get you in the “zone” while you’re training. The “zone” is the mental state where you are totally focused on the task and achieve better performance. Athletes brain their whole life trying to get into this mental state quickly. Now, with this headphone, all you have to do is stuck it into your ear and watch yourself soar.
Final Thoughts
Kids are so lucky these days. They live in a time of convenience. Everything is at their beck and call. They never had to go through what we went through. For starters, there was no internet. We had to contend ourselves on playing outside. But in a way that did more good than harm. Because we played outside, I would say our socialization skills are a lot more honed and develop than the next generation.
Sports were mainly viewed as the older generations’ past time. It was their form of entertainment. But we live in different times. We have so many options to entertain ourselves and most doesn’t require sitting for two or three hours. In order for sports to continue being relevant for the next generation, they need to find ways to engage their newer more informed demographic.
